It's the problem Labor wrestles with election after election: how to present an easily understood alternative to the Coalition. The Kimberley may be the furthest electorate from Perth, but it often presents issues central to West Australian state elections. The issue of processing liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the Kimberley is the big issue for the region and has been consistently growing in importance in state and federal politics.

There is no doubting Liberal leader and Premier, Colin Barnett's position on Kimberley gas. He took what had been the former Labor Government's initiative to establish a gas processing precinct in the Kimberley and made it his own by threatening and then instigating compulsory acquisition. Critics say that the Premier's forceful approach has threatened the success of the project, but supporters of Kimberley gas processing can be in no doubt that Barnett keenly wants this project to proceed. Labor's past strategy was to give traditional owners a veto over the development of an LNG industry in the Kimberley. This presented a risk of an unfavourable outcome to those passionately divided on both sides of the issue.

Labor's new state leader, Mark McGowan, is gearing up for the next state election in a year's time. And it's the gas issue that crops up most often in the West Kimberley. When asked if Labor supports the LNG project at James Price Point, McGowan says "That is a complex issue and I don't want to give an exact yes/no answer." He goes on to explain the complexities and Labor's opposition to Barnett's compulsory acquisition. McGowan then says "So we do support gas processing, and we have in the past supported James Price Point...but unless the social impact issues are resolved appropriately...that is important to whether or not the plant goes into that location."

It remains to be seen whether the Labor position on this passionately fought issue will garner support from either side. Kimberley Mornings' Vanessa Mills discusses this and other issues including alcohol restrictions and the cost of living with Mark McGowan.